


absolutely smitten

by rippedjuns



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Arranged Marriage, Fluff ?, I Tried, Kind of like a patriarchal society but kind of not at the same time, M/M, Not Beta Read but Proof Read, Soft Boys, Star-crossed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-07
Updated: 2018-02-07
Packaged: 2019-03-14 20:34:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13597869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rippedjuns/pseuds/rippedjuns
Summary: because yes, they were in love. so deep, that they would simply drown in one another’s arms.but their love was forbidden, for not only were they already married to others, but they were both seconds. it was against the law for seconds to marry other seconds.~ ”we should run away.” ~((or where jisoo is in love with seungcheol, someone that he shouldn’t be with))





	absolutely smitten

**Author's Note:**

> just a bit of clarification:
> 
> first - head of the house, are superior to the second
> 
> second - housewife, obedient to the first
> 
> enjoy!
> 
> recommended song: absolutely smitten by dodie

it was beautiful.

the way it glimmered under the phosphorescence, each individual diamond showcasing their own personality. it was spectacular, jaw-dropping, some would even go to say tear-jerking. jisoo adored it, and you could tell, as he never took it off of his tanned finger. not once since he received it.

but, the world it was associated with wasn’t as pleasant.

marriage at eighteen was mandatory for every young boy and girl, and they were to be bonded with a man their age who was born a first. the first men marry the second boys and girls, and their place in the world is set in stone. the rules begin to be locked into place, and for most - freedom is faded away, like the ashes of those who tried to fight for the freedom. seconds were almost like maids, housebound despite being physically healthy (unless they go out with their husband or another second). their job was to look after the house and the children that they were to share - adopted or birthed.

jisoo looked at his twenty-five year old self in the mirror, patting down his invisible features that would’ve been attractive to the teenagers of his time. the unflattering navy dress all seconds were pushed to wear reached his elbows and his ankles, seeming more like a sheet of fabric with the odd stitch here and there. a pair of arms snaked around his waist, and a soggy pair of lips left a rosy mark on his cheek. he never wanted to squirm his way out of a situation more, or just disappear into the background.

invisible.

“i’m going to work now, babe.” jongsu, his first, whispered in his ear. husky was his voice, like the roar of a car engine. “then we can discuss about our childless situation when i come back.”

jisoo has forgotten. they needed to find a surrogate before things go downhill for their fate.

taciturn, jisoo glanced at his husband waving a short goodbye, before leaving the house to do his manly job.

that’s what he hated. he hated jongsu.

he hated the fact that jongsu was allowed free will and freedom of speech, whilst jisoo was restricted with duck tape and handcuffs as to what he could and couldn’t do. he hated the fact that jongsu could wear whatever the hell he desired, whilst jisoo has to put up with the same dress, with more wrinkles than his late grandmother. he hated the fact that jongsu pretended to be so immensely in love with jisoo, whilst jisoo saw inside, and knew that it was all a little play to try and make the seconds feel like this law was actually worth it.

it really wasn’t worth what it was made out to be.

the minute jisoo heard the door ring shut, and once jongsu was assumed to be on the bus that took all the firsts to work, jisoo ran to his window and drew the blackout curtains, an array of light poking through the glass to create spotlights on the floor. jisoo wanted to dance when he was home alone, seeing as his awkwardness would always take over whilst around jongsu. the sun seemed to be encouraging his rave outbursts.

a familiar pair of eyes peered from across the street, a corresponding smile arching upwards without the need of a curling iron. lighting up, jisoo waved at the boy across the street, giving similarities to an overexcited maniac, which made the latter giggle and clutch his abdomen. there’s that gummy smile that jisoo loves and adores.

seungcheol was his name. a fellow second, housewife of first youngho.

they’d been talking to each other for two years straight, allocating one another as their personal partner for taking walks for errands and whatnot. through writings on the windows, through paper aeroplanes across the street, through face to face conversing as they walked, they always found a way to communicate. seungcheol gave jisoo jauntiness, and in return, jisoo gave physical affection.

because yes, they were in love. so deep, that they would simply drown in one another’s arms.

but their love was forbidden, for not only were they already married to others, but they were both seconds. it was against the law for seconds to marry other seconds.

jisoo so desperately wanted to be with seungcheol, but the locks on his doors left him like a prisoner to his first. he loved the hugs that seungcheol would wrap jisoo in, feeling like a christmas present; ribbon, bow, and all. he loved the protective hold that his hands would give, resembling those of his mother’s when he was a fearful loner. but he adored the gradients on seungcheol’s glossed lips, jisoo so badly wanting to trace the colours down with his own as they melted towards the opening of the older’s mouth. of course, kissing was forbidden unless it was with the one who gave you the ring, but they would do it under the shadowed lights, away from the disgusted public eye.

opening up the glass panel between them, seungcheol threw an origami object through the hole, the couple gazing as it soared through the air, slicing the atmosphere as it passed between the two houses. they had gotten superlative at the art of paper aeroplanes over the course of their relationship. with the flick of their wrist, and the clement catch as it reached the opposing side. it was a simplistic routine.

_we should go for a walk today, second jisoo_

that was the note. jisoo wasn’t mad, because seungcheol had gone through all that effort to tell him that sentence. in fact, he was delighted.

_that would be splendid, second seungcheol_

short and sweet notes were their style, because then they could easily open up and talk until their throats went numb whilst they were together, with intertwined hands and interlocked lips (when it was appropriate).

they watched the way the paper aeroplane spun spirals in the air, dipping up and down. a rollercoaster, jisoo thought of it. it held more similarities to the relationship he was taught was atrocious and sinful. ones where the couple were equals. ones where they could choose their paths in life. ones where they could split if they didn’t feel the spark. ones where they could love who they wanted. jisoo wondered whether his grandparents lived in that world, where they didn’t have to abide by the rules of the state, and they could have one night stands with drunkards.

jisoo needs to get out more. staying indoors makes him think too much.

seungcheol had rushed away from the window, probably to lace up his ankle-high leather boots and straighten his wide-brimmed hat (which covered his forehead, much to the despite of jisoo). in suit, jisoo lifted up the edges of his dress in order to not trip up, as he lurched down the spiral staircase, the stainless steel sending spitfire shivers across the nerves in his feet, sure to spike a drop in temperature throughout his body as he got closer to the bottom.

seungcheol could warm him up like a summer’s day though, so it didn’t really matter that much.

eagerly craving the older boy, jisoo barely tied up his laces, and his straw sailor hat was definitely going to tumble off of his head and abseil until it reached the floor beneath him. he could be over excited, but it had been a good few months since he was able to see seungcheol in person, and feel the electric sparks bounce off of their skin as they touched.

typing in the supposedly impossible code meant for firsts only (although every second knew it off by heart, backwards, and in morse code), he picked up the pace, panting as he burst through the teak wood door, down the uneven pebbled pathway.

he could see the boy, only a tar road in between them. with his heart racing out in front of him, jisoo struggled to keep up with his breath, it being taken away as soon as he inhaled. was it because of seungcheol, who seemed more of one of vincent van gogh’s artworks? or was it because he had not ran since was a mere seventeen year old?

he hoped it was the former.

“hello, kitten.” seungcheol grinned once jisoo had crossed the road, his voice hushed. their pet names were for themselves alone, unless they were to be scolded. he was nicknamed after his soft eyes, that sported natural cat wings on the edges. the younger was left in a puddle, deliquescing from the warm tone of seungcheol’s raspy vocals.

inaudibly giggling, jisoo had to hold himself back from being a complete and utter koala to seungcheol, his hands twitching to at least wrap themselves around the older’s own. “hello, bunny.”

demonstrating unconsciously the reasoning behind his nickname, seungcheol began bouncing on the spot, skipping forward to guide the younger second in the correct direction.

jisoo could follow that blinding smile until he fell into a volcano, and he’d still feel as if he died in merriment.

☆彡☆彡☆彡☆彡☆彡☆彡☆彡☆彡☆彡

the national park of elpída houses a serene lake, and hundreds of wildlife creatures freely roaming. as you walk along the concrete paths leading to nowhere and everywhere, you might spot a speckled deer, or possibly a family of daffodil ducklings. willow trees eavesdrop on your conversations, peering over your shoulder as you walk past to observe your flowing movements. flowing like the river, which meanders around the trunks and the flowerbeds, not intending on ruining any passive nature. with no one really leaving the house, the park had been left untouched, it’s glittering fields of emerald grass blades unknown to by the rest of elpída.

all except seungcheol and jisoo.

this was usually their date spot, sitting cross-legged on the massaging grass as their eyes looked upon the river and the forest adjacent. no food would be eaten, or water be consumed. they would only talk, and move to get comfortable, to avoid the fear of leaving with evidence of being outside the bars sealing them inside the household. but they would share kisses, and exchange plans.

plans that mapped out a lifetime that didn’t exist. days where they would make buffets for breakfast, and travel the country in a rusty pick-up truck, much like jisoo’s grandfather’s. or, days where they would become one entity on the couch, cuddling for heat as they watched films from their childhood. nights that would last for ages, where alcohol could be involved, or it could be swapped out for marshmallows dissolved in hot cocoa.

they also pondered about clothes, and how they coveted to burn their uniforms. watch the cotton rise up in flames, the crackles pleasuring their ears, and the smoke penetrating their nostrils. jisoo would babble on about this outfit he would wear every day back in middle school - the checkered flannel shirt, half tucked into his pants, and the skinny jeans, rolled up to the ankle. seungcheol would perform something similar, but it would express his love and admiration for his knitted cream sweater, and the younger’s heart would beat louder than usual when the former would awaken his dimples during the soliloquy.

 _‘we should buy these one day,’_ seungcheol would say, and hastily jisoo would nod in return.

they would explain these plans as if they had already occurred, despite them being only distant dreams.

albeit, seungcheol brought a new idea to the table. one that jisoo never actually considered.

“we should run away.”

it was weaved into the conversation surprisingly when jisoo least expected it, the emotions on his face seeming more jumbled than a scrabble board after a rage. it’s sad that scrabble isn’t available in elpída.

“what made you think that so quickly?”

it’s not like it wasn’t something jisoo thought about on the daily. he would never deny it (unless it was to his first). jisoo would sell his soul to the demons below if it meant that he could live away from men like jongsu. men who had to the audacity to believe that they had complete control over other men and women. the thought sometimes makes jisoo gag in disgust for his fellow citizens’ behaviour and attitudes.

“well, you hate jongsu. i can see it in your eyes when you walk out the door, usually on errand days. i hate youngho as well, and we also love each other. it would just make sense for us to run away together, and live out the ideas we’ve mind-mapped in our heads.”

“but cheollie,” jisoo drew spirals of confusion on the back of the elder’s palm, alerting him that elaboration was soon to be required. “how would we live after running away? you need to think about the financial logistics of the situation. we don’t have jobs, and we don’t have the right to gain one, either.”

“who said we needed money to live?” seungcheol questioned, a smile playing at his lips again. a young puppy, tugging on a fraying rope. “i found an abandoned cabin nearby, with working cables for the television and a water source right next to it! in the middle of the woods, away from civilisation, doesn’t it sound absolutely lavish to you, jisoo baby?”

it did. it really did.

if jisoo could say yes immediately, he would.

nevertheless, he had to think about their safety. so much was being put at risk if they decided to move forward with this plan. their house, their income, their clothes, their nutrition. that might not come from this little idea that sprouted from a couple of questions a week or two prior.

it’s not that he didn’t trust seungcheol. he loves the boy with all of his heart! unfortunately, this dystopian world they were forced to live upon was stubborn when it comes down to what you do, and jisoo didn’t want seungcheol getting hurt because of it. a sight not wanting to be seen, or heard, or even thought of.

but, then again, there was the reminder that they would be forever forbidden from expressing their love to each other if they stayed behind. the aching of their hearts would only grow more vigourous as they grew more distant, and what if their firsts desired to migrate from elpída? would their hearts shatter like a broken mirror, misfortune leading them to infinite separation?

either way, they could feel agony brewing. it’s just which way at the crossroads would they desire to take.

jisoo took a breath.

“let’s do it.”

☆彡☆彡☆彡☆彡☆彡☆彡☆彡☆彡☆彡

bathing in mud didn’t seem like a good idea, and jisoo felt like he was swimming in the maroon sludge as they trekked through the forest. idling around his ankles, jisoo had to lift his dress up around his knees and thighs in order to avoid it getting soaked in possible animal excretion. the things he does for this relationship.

“not far now, i think.” seungcheol had this aura about him that was consistent positivity, and he refused to let the negative emotions wash over his precious jisoo. “i just need you to trust me, kitten.”

it’s not his seungcheol that he didn’t trust.

“are you sure you can easily have faith in this website? how do we even know that it’s not a fraud, a scandal?”

as a light began to weave through the lattice structured woods, seungcheol pivoted his head to the side, displaying his picturesque profile to the pupils of jisoo. just the sight of his knife jawline left the younger feeling like a six out of ten. “my cousin...she used this website to escape with another second, and they’ve been alright for years upon end now. i want us to be like that: safe and sound.”

jisoo was left reticent for the majority of the walk, more or less walking amongst his thoughts rather than the forest maze of elpída.

people have their reasons for running away. it could be because of hate, or disagreement. it could just be to prove a point, which to most would mean nothing at all.

but why did jisoo run away?

he had no personal gain to achieve out of this. he wasn’t in any physical pain from anyone that would force him out of the house. he wasn’t the rebellious type either, according to his second resume.

was it because of jongsu?

it wasn’t the first’s fault. it’s just that the international project didn’t work out in their favour. jisoo wasn’t in love with the first, and he only listened to the rules because he feared of going behind bars. the whole scheme to help rise the birth rates, lower the deaths of loneliness, and open more houses to be available to the world, wasn’t necessarily the best for them.

marriage isn’t something to be decided by a single glance.

jisoo could see it now. the cabin seungcheol was ranting on about for the past year. it laid in front of a section of the river that they never spotted on their trek there, with a perfect posture and no signs of destruction. slabs of tree trunks were buttoned around the walls of the house, helping to isolate the warmth within. squares were carefully traced out, and windows had been slotted in between, reminding jisoo of those toys he would play with as a young boy that would tutor him on the wonders of the mathematical shapes.

he wondered whether he would ever have children of his own.

if he did, then there’s no doubt in his head that they would be fathered by seungcheol. children growing up with a pure father, who would have strict rules but also teach them the skills they need to get them through the world. children being taught the correct work ethics, and growing up with a personality and attitude that others would sell their souls for. jisoo wanted nothing more than for his children to be seungcheol’s as well, and there was no doubt about it. the only way to initiate that was for him to rid himself of any past relations, and jisoo was pretty sure that seungcheol would feel the same. his eyes shakily moved down to his ring.

it was indeed beautiful, but it held too much heartache. it did light up the sky with its dauntingly splendid rays, but it would wash jisoo over with darkness. it was jisoo’s dream ring, that he would hold so dear and close to his heart, but it would bring him nightmares of what would happen if he returned. he didn’t want that. he didn’t want seungcheol to be in or see him in any sort of physical or emotional trauma.

so, down to the bottom of the river it sank. the ring was an anchor, affixing the dreadful days of the past to a dark place, never to be thought of again.

a hyperactive seungcheol then dragged jisoo towards the door, fumbling around with the specialised keys until one decided to be their santa claus, unlocking the next stage in their new life together. it seemed peculiarly comparable to his old house, and the identical twin buildings that lined the neighbourhood roads, with the same beige paint melting down the walls, and the same quicksand carpet soaking their feet in cotton beneath them. a sofa sat proudly in the middle of the studio-style cabin, standing as a centrepiece that would hold treasured memories, ones more extravagant than twenty-four carat gold. jisoo was tempted to prance about like a deer, releasing his housewife-second nature and revere the dishes and the cutlery that were supplied with the house.

well, that’s exactly what he did.

china, plastic, stainless steel, he even saw gold! they were all there, neatly allocated in their drawers; they were all there, just for them.

flamboyantly opening each and every door, jisoo aimlessly made his way to the wardrobe, which leered at the bedroom door opposite. the only thing indicating that it could supposedly be divergent from other doors was the fact that the doorknob was non-identical to all the others. glass was moulded into the shape of an even diamond, the light reflecting through leaving rainbow shadows on the floor below.

inside the wardrobe, although, was something that evoked back something that jisoo was astounded by. how did he remember it?

_”i wish i could choose what i would wear as a second,” the eldest moaned for the umpteenth time in between bites of rice cakes. “i would die for my white sweater. literally, i would sacrifice myself.”_

_”you wouldn’t really, because then i’ll be left alone!” he blew seungcheol a pout as he spoke,_

_”true, soo. i can’t love anything more than you.” if they were sixteen, the infatuated couple would’ve had no shame coursing through their veins alongside the dopamine and the adrenaline. nevertheless, they bared the ring of fate on their fingers, leaving them star-crossed. “what about you? what article of clothing would you rather wear than this?”_

_jisoo didn’t need to take aside a minute to think. “my favourite clothing era was unquestionably when i was addicted to flannel shirts and skinny jeans more than a drunkard was dependent on alcohol.”_

a checkerboard clothing item blocked his view, the creased fabric fleecy to touch. for some reason, the clothing resembled the exact shirt he owned, even though he’s grown quite a number of centimetres over the past few years. naturally, the acid-washed jeans were hung up behind, distanced apart as if the dried acid was to alarmingly harm anybody at all.

seungcheol had remembered.

jisoo gasped, as a set of arms curled around his waist.

a perfect fit. like a wedding ring.

an exchange of manner-filled words had been completed as the youngest pressed his face against seungcheol’s chest, reciprocating the hug that he was currently being gifted.

he knew that something bad was going to happen, he could feel it shaking in his bones. but for now, he kept himself locked in the safety padlock that is choi seungcheol, of whom he was absolutely smitten for.

his hugs have never not felt delightful.

**Author's Note:**

> feedback is always appreciated!
> 
> ☆thank you for reading!☆


End file.
